The US is noted to be a green land for exceptional talents in the entertainment industry. And so many seek to get into it. However, if it was pretty much easy and straightforward, just about anybody would become a professional entertainer in the US. There are some key skills for professional entertainers to be successful in the US, and these include physical stamina, talents, people skills, discipline, and of course, creativity. Here are the steps to becoming a professional entertainer in the US.
First, make sure you choose your specialty. This has got to be the first step. Professional entertainers come in quite a number of spheres, commonly including musicians, actors, athletes, circus performers, magicians, and comedians. Your talent determines where your specialty is. It’s also true that learning and developing more than one skill, like combining music with dance, can exponentially improve your overall fame and success.
The next step is to acquire some training in your specialty, which means you have to nurture and hone your skills over time. This includes consistent practice, reading books, meditation, or even attending formal classes, depending on your specialty. Note that the more time you spend on training, the better you are likely to turn out.
Now, similar to training is getting into the art of creation. For athletes, it’s as simple as playing on a predetermined schedule, but for other performers, an act must be created to impress your audience. That could be learning songwriting, writing, performing script, etc. This is done to finetune your craft, get better at it, and understand your audience’s demands and wants.
You need to start performing. All entertainers need not just to develop their art, but also expand their fan base to get to that professional status. Here, you can promote and market yourself, but you’d need to rely on performing to a very large extent. This means you have to get on your A-Game and explore your opportunities to attract the right audience to have their eyes on you.
Finally, consider getting the right representation. Many professional entertainers often start by marketing themselves. But there comes a part and time where they’d need a wider range of audience, and that’s when agents and managers come in. They are needed for a professional career in the US entertainment industry because they are the folks with extensive business skills and the strong industry connection to help talents connect with relevant production companies, concert venues, sports organizations, etc. They also help schedule your appearances, negotiate contracts, set up performances, and even manage your professional itinerary.
As mild as these steps seem, if they are diligently followed, you stand a great chance of becoming a professional entertainer in the US!
